The slender young man standing by suddenly grew pale, lifting his hand abruptly—within it appeared a long, translucent blade. A crisp, resonant "clang!" echoed. As soon as the blade struck the warrior's palm, a brilliant golden light burst forth. Not only did the blade shatter instantly, but the young man himself staggered, retreating several steps, spitting out a glob of pure vitality as he collapsed to the ground, utterly unable to rise. "This area has been sealed by my incantation. No matter how loud you call, it will do no good. You truly have the courage to act—knowing that this young Taoist has allies behind him, yet still daring to make a move. Do you really believe this is the Leng family's domain? That I, standing here, would hesitate to take you?" The voice of the suddenly appeared man resonated once more within the chamber, cold and commanding. Then, the space trembled slightly, and a golden-yellow figure emerged slowly within the room. A towering figure, nearly three to four zhang high, clad in a silver-white armor, with golden fur flowing across its body—an immortal golden-furred ape. This spectral ape has vivid blue eyes, its fangs exposed, radiating a fierce, violent energy that surges upward from its entire body. A faint, dark, ominous aura swirls around it, restless and unsteady. How terrifyingly fierce! "An immortal cultivator? Impossible!" the elder with black brows gasped upon seeing the giant ape. The elderly woman, whose eyes had rolled back, also flashed a moment of astonishment. "Ha! What's impossible? If you two are so bold as to court your own doom, then don't be surprised if I prove merciless!" The golden-haired giant ape flashed a glint of fierce determination in his eyes, then emitted a low, almost roaring sound. With a sudden grip on the elderly woman's golden hair, his five fingers burst forth with golden light, as though he were about to crush her instantly. "Senior, please!" "Stop!" The elder with black brows and the slender young man, just recovering from shock, both cried out simultaneously. Yet both were utterly weak, their inner cultivation energy disordered and scattered, with no strength at all to advance and intervene. Just as the old woman's face turned pale and her eyes filled with deathly pallor, a faint voice suddenly emerged from outside the hall: "Looking at you, I'd say you're quite bold! To venture alone into my abode, where I personally reside, and dare to face my deadly attack—what a feat!" As soon as the words fell, a thunderclap split the roof, and a massive purple hand, adorned with swirling runes, burst through a layer of seal, materializing above the golden-mantled giant ape's head, then swiftly and mercilessly seized it. "Long Elder!" The golden-mantled giant ape's fierce expression instantly changed. With a deep roar, he momentarily set aside the old woman in his hands, throwing her aside. His golden hand swelled several times in size, meeting the purple giant hand with equal strength, while his other palm reached out, extending toward the motionless spirit-being of the instrument. A thunderous roar erupted—something truly magnificent! A massive orb of golden and purple light erupted suddenly within the hall, its immense spiritual pressure lifting the walls and even the roof right off their foundations. Amidst the blinding radiance, a low hum resonated instantly. Then, a golden arrow-like streak shot forth from the orb, vanishing in a flash and reaching over a hundred paces away. "Do you still intend to flee?" asked the master of the purple giant hand, his voice cold and firm. Immediately, a streak of purple light surged from the top of a nearby golden tower, forming a long, flowing arc that swiftly pursued the golden streak. Its speed surpassed that of the golden one, seemingly gaining the upper hand. The commotion naturally roused everyone in the entire castle. Countless streaks of spiritual light rose from various buildings, as people gathered to witness what had transpired. Yet, in that brief moment of hesitation, both the golden streak and the purple arc had already surged ahead, breaching the city walls and plunged into the surrounding white mist. Yet when numerous Long family cultivators hurried to reach the edge of the mist, a series of explosive sounds emerged from the vast, white-hazed sea of fog. Soon after, roars and thunderous shouts filled the air, and two colossal spiritual pressures surged upward from deep within the mist, distorting and warping the entire sky that had been magically formed—subtly resonating with a rumbling sound akin to thunder. The two masters of these pressures seemed momentarily locked in a stalemate. Nearby Long family cultivators exchanged glances, each expressing astonishment. At this moment, they all knew that the figure within the mist was none other than their Long family's elder patriarch. And yet, another cultivator stood equal to him, holding his own—was this perhaps another late-stage Consolidation stage Saint-level cultivator? If so, then their own Liangxu-to-Shen stage cultivators, rushing into the fray ahead, would surely be doomed. The leading figure among these Long family cultivators was precisely the Long family's master—the dignified, purple-robed middle-aged man. He stared at the misty sea with astonishment, yet as he sensed the immense spiritual pressure surging from within the mist, he too grew hesitant. "Ah, Master Long, shall I intervene and temporarily separate the two guests?" A pleasant female voice suddenly echoed from behind Master Long. At the words, the middle-aged man in purple robes stiffened and quickly turned to look back. There, standing gracefully behind him, was a young woman of about seventeen or eighteen, dressed in yellow silk, gazing at him with a warm, smiling expression. If Han Li had been present, he would have immediately recognized her as the renowned Thousand-Season Saint Princess of the Artifact Spirit Clan. "Indeed, it's a pleasure to meet you, Master Thousand-Season. If you would be so kind as to assist in capturing the two guests, that would be most excellent." The man in purple robes, though somewhat surprised, spoke with evident enthusiasm. "Capturing them? That is impossible. Even with my help, it would not be feasible." Moreover, although I have maintained good relations with the Long family, I cannot simply offend another distinguished elder from either of your two clans without cause. All I can do is to temporarily keep them apart." The Thousand-Seasons Princess shook her head, smiling gently. "Apart... that will do. My father recently suffered a significant loss of strength due to a matter, and at present he finds it difficult to withstand a direct confrontation with a strong opponent." The head of the Long family's face clouded and cleared several times before he suddenly stomped his foot and agreed. "Very well. Since the head of the Long family has agreed, then I... Ah, it seems I won't need to intervene after all." The Thousand-Seasons Princess smiled slightly at first, but as she looked toward the misty sea, her gaze suddenly sharpened. "What? Senior, you mean—?" The middle-aged man in purple robes naturally paused, still not having fully grasped the meaning, when suddenly he felt the ground around the castle shake violently. Then, a thunderous roar like the collapse of heaven and earth erupted from the misty sea, followed by an unusual, piercing cry. A surge of golden and purple energy erupted violently from the mist, sweeping it entirely aside and rushing directly toward the Long family cultivators. Upon witnessing the sheer force of this energy wave, the Long family cultivators immediately became disordered—those with lower cultivation levels hurried backward, retreating to safety behind the city walls. The higher-ranked cultivators, those at the Lingxu or Lingxu-level, activated their protective artifacts, transforming them into shimmering halos of light that shielded them, and stepped back slightly to allow room. Only the Qianqiu Holy Maiden remained motionless, allowing the powerful energy wave to pass right through her. Her once bright smile had vanished, replaced now by a serious and composed demeanor. At this moment, the white mist at a distance had been completely dispersed by the energy wave. In the next instant, everyone clearly saw two figures floating in the sky, their physical appearances vastly different from one another. One was a golden-mantled giant ape, towering over thirty zhang tall—like a small mountain—his one hand gripping a human cultivator dressed in a Daoist robe, the other clenched firmly before him, presenting a fearsome, divine presence. Facing him was the middle-aged golden-faced cultivator who had finally appeared on the auction stage. Now, golden dragon horns sprouted from his head, golden scales shimmering across his cheeks, and his pupils gleamed with a radiant golden hue—both hands empty, like he had just stepped into the arena. Beneath them, the ground was littered with deep, scattered craters, a scene of utter disarray. As far as I know, among the yuán clan, aside from that Yellow Eyebrow elder, there should be no other yuán-level yuán cultivator who has achieved the combined form. The Lóng family elder gazed at the golden-hair giant gibbon, his expression unchanged, and asked. "Heh, who am I, you just keep guessing. This time, since you've personally come forward, I'll give those few a chance. But should there be a next time, don't expect me to be gentle." The giant gibbon snarled, his face hardening. Suddenly, a layer of strange, silvery flame erupted from its body, and then it contracted its form, colliding with the nearby void. The Lóng family elder's expression remained steady, though his pupils narrowed slightly—he did not intervene. With a soft 'pffft,' the void was melted open as if by the silver flame, revealing a dark, gaping hole. The gibbon flashed into the hole and vanished without a trace. Liang's elder ancestor stood at a distance, motionless, gazing steadily at the rapidly shrinking black void, his eyes flickering with thought as if pondering something important. "Father, are you all right?" At that moment, the middle-aged man in purple robes hurried over with a group of clan elders, respectfully asking. "Hmph. What could possibly go wrong with me? Do you think I'd be afraid to suffer?" Liang's elder ancestor glanced coldly at the man in purple robes. "By no means. I merely noticed that you've already awakened your half-drake form, so I'm a bit concerned." The man in purple robes showed no hesitation, instead bowing deeply and remaining humble. Upon hearing this, Liang's elder ancestor's eyes flashed with sharp light, and suddenly asked coldly, "Did you hear the words the immortal cultivator just spoke? As the head of our Liang clan, you should be aware of what he said." "This matter concerns Liang, and I had originally intended to report it to Father. Yet I never expected it to be pursued so swiftly—especially by such a formidable immortal cultivator. It truly comes as a surprise to me." The middle-aged man in purple robes didn't hesitate any further, simply offering a quiet, wry smile and speaking honestly.